Blast from the past-Yonex RD Power 10 Long, wrong weight

[Redflea]

Just picked an RD Power 10 Long mid plus (95) from the Yonex tent sale this week.

I was so surprised to see it that I bought it.

Has a sticker on it that indicates it was strung once at Sports Authority in late 1991! I wasn't aware the RD Power 10 long was available that long ago. It was pristine, unused, at least until I hit with it today.

One interesting part is the weight - all the specs I could find put it up around 12.5 ounces strung. This one, a 4 3/8, is 11.5 oz, a full ounce lighter. That seems like way too much to be just manufacturing variance. Wondering if this is possibly a PJ of another racquet. The Power 6 long was spec'd at around 11.5 ounces, for instance.

Anyway, it was an odd racquet to come across at the sale, particularly w/the stringing sticker on it and the weight variance. Hits really nice, quite solid, and the extra .5" doesn't really seem to make much of a difference. I normally use an RDX 500 mid which I love for its solid feel, and this was right in there.

 

[dcheung]

There were 2 versions, SL and USL and the latter was the lighter one even same grip size, but if memory serve me well, USL only had grip 1 to grip 3. I liked it a lot, at a time I had 5 SL and 3 USL of which a few brand new, but the inferior soft bumper material at the throat just rotten into pieces and really diificult to find replacement.

 

[Redflea]

There were 2 versions, SL and USL and the latter was the lighter one even same grip size, but if memory serve me well, USL only had grip 1 to grip 3. I liked it a lot, at a time I had 5 SL and 3 USL of which a few brand new, but the inferior soft bumper material at the throat just rotten into pieces and really diificult to find replacement.

Ah, great, thanks very much for that information, I didn't come across that in my searches. I must have a USL, and mine is grip size 3 [4 3/8] so that fits.

I'm comparing it to a RD Ti 80 light (also about 11.5 strung), and am so far leaning towards the Power 10, but haven't hit w/any strong hitters yet and need to see if that racquet is OK when I'm being pressed.

I'm getting a really great BH w/the Power 10 (one-handed) and serve is very natural, forehand is still not dialed in. On the Ti 80 my forehand is better, but BH and serve are erratic/clumsy.

Fun playing around w/these older sticks. They make my RDX mids seem modern.

 

[dcheung]

RD Power 10's USL and SL version is more like the PS97 and RF97 which the heavier versions are stiff and a log to play with but powerful and spinny.

 

[Redflea]

RD Power 10's USL and SL version is more like the PS97 and RF97 which the heavier versions are stiff and a log to play with but powerful and spinny.

Thanks for the comparison. I was surprised that the Power 10 didn't feel more stiff, given the 68 stiffness rating that showed in TW specs, but if you're saying the USL version was more flexy that matches up with what I experienced w/my Power 10.

 

[Kalin]

I just weighed mine; it's the 95 sqin head and it's marked UL3. Strung, with a thicker replacement grip (not the usual thin Yonex fare) and an absorbent overgrip it comes to 339 grams (11.96 Oz). So unstrung weight should be abt 11.5 Oz.

 

[McLovin]

Loved that frame! I believe I was using it circa 1997 through 2000, but I'm pretty certain it wasn't available in 1991. It was a brand new frame when I first demoed it.

 

[kaiser]

I think that's correct, if I recall correctly Hingis and Rios played with this frame in the 2nd half of the 90s, and I picked one up cheap for my wife in the late 90s.

 

[5point5]

This thread should be moved under Classic Racket Talk.

 

[McLovin]

This thread should be moved under Classic Racket Talk.

Are you calling me 'old'?

 

[Rabbit]

Yonex, and I don't know if the RD-10 was included, used to vary weight by grip size. A 5 was the heaviest going down to a zero.

 

[PBODY99]

Poor hand writing on the sticker. That frame was not out in 1991. I tube the holes that had the soft yellow grommets that they used in this timne period.